Rouhani to generals: Let diplomacy prevail

Iran's president urges military leaders to tone down on rhetoric in efforts to end nuclear dispute with the West.

Rouhani has broken with tradition and has pursued to normalise relations with the US and the West [AP]

President Hassan Rouhani has urged Iran's military leaders to let diplomacy prevail in dealing with potential foreign threats, in a clear reference to efforts to end the nuclear dispute and decades of hostile relations with the West.

"It is very important to formulate one's sentences and speeches in a way that is not construed as threat, intention to strike a blow," Rouhani said in a meeting on Saturday with Iran's top military echelon.

"We must be very careful in our calculations. Launching missiles and staging military exercises to scare off the other side is not good deterrence, although a necessity in its proper place," the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

But these efforts run counter to aggressive slogans from Islamic hardliners who dominate the elite Revolutionary Guards and the regular army to a lesser extent.

Interim deal

Last November, the Islamic republic signed an interim deal with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as Germany, to limit parts of its nuclear programme, in exchange for the easing of some international sanctions.

The two sides met again on February 18 aimed at finding a long-term agreement, following the interim deal. The two sides have until July to find a permanent solution.

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